Democrats closing out term with tamed agenda

WASHINGTON ---- Lawmakers return to the Capitol on Monday to
begin a complicated lame-duck session that will mark the last time
Democrats will be in control of Congress for the foreseeable
future.

Gone is any hint that Democrats will try to ram through the rest
of the ambitious legislative goals President Barack Obama outlined
two years ago when he took office with a Democratic majority in
both chambers. No one, for example, is talking about a
controversial bill to reduce global warming pollution with a
cap-and-trade system.

Still, Democrats are intent on closing out the 111th Congress
with a few final strokes that could provide a fitting coda to what
historians have called one of the most productive sessions in a
generation.

Despite electoral losses that handed control of the House to
Republicans and diminished Democrats' majority in the Senate,
Democratic leaders are pressing an agenda that would extend
middle-class tax cuts, fund the government and perhaps repeal the
ban on openly gay men and women serving in the military.

Yet nothing is certain in the new political climate. As many as
80 incoming House Republicans elected two weeks ago will arrive in
town for freshman orientation in advance of their January
swearing-in ceremony, and some plan to join a rally Monday to
protest the Democrats' plans.

In addition, lawmakers who will be members of the 112th Congress
will vote for their leaders next week. Rep. John A. Boehner,
R-Ohio, is expected to become the next House speaker, while
Democrats will decide whether to retain the outgoing speaker, Rep.
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as their leader.

In the Senate, Harry Reid, D-Nev., is expected to remain
majority leader, with Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to continue
leading the GOP.

And on Thursday, the new leadership is expected to visit Obama
at the White House.

For Democrats, the question in the final weeks of the year is
how far to push their agenda before relinquishing control, a
situation that carries risks for both parties.

"They think it's the last shot at this for a long, long time,"
said Matt Bennett, a vice president at Third Way, a moderate
Democratic think tank in Washington. "When you have big majorities
and the White House, which they have for the next three weeks,
things become possible that don't seem possible."

Republicans must weigh the political costs of promoting a
limited lame-duck agenda that obstructs Democratic initiatives.

Their preference is to focus these next few weeks on immediate
fiscal matters. They intend to block what could be the last
opportunity in years to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on
gay military personnel as well as a Democratic-led attempt to
extend unemployment benefits to jobless Americans.

Although such stances could alienate moderates, GOP leaders have
made it clear they see little reason to compromise after their
gains in the Nov. 2 election. McConnell has said his goal is to
make Obama a one-term president.

The biggest battle ahead probably will be over the extension of
the President George W. Bush-era tax cuts. If Congress does not
renew them by year's end, virtually every American taxpayer would
pay higher taxes.

The White House has signaled a possible compromise that would
permanently extend the tax breaks for families earning below
$250,000 annually, or $200,000 for singles, while granting a
temporary extension for higher wage earners.

Obama and most Democrats have long held that the tax cuts should
be extended only for those earning less than $250,000. They argue
the nation cannot afford the additional $700-billion cost of tax
breaks for the wealthy.

Republicans, though, insist that all tax cuts should be
permanently extended.

The outcome of the tax debate may determine whether Democrats
can advance other priorities, including those to improve food
safety, expand the school lunch program or provide a path to
citizenship for student immigrants.

"The dynamic of any lame-duck session is unpredictable," said
Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., who has led GOP efforts for a limited
session. "This one is probably more so than most."